The Princess of Wales is a "remarkable lady" who deserves "privacy," a U.K. government minister has said, as the royal has become the subject of increased speculation and conspiracy theories since undergoing abdominal surgery in January.
In an interview given to British talk radio station LBC on Tuesday, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said of Kate: "She is a remarkable lady and I think we should give her a little bit of privacy."
The minister would not be drawn to comment on whether she had concerns that newspapers had recently published photographs of Kate while shopping privately with Prince William in Windsor, Berkshire, in England.
"At the moment, she is recovering from an operation and I think we should respect her privacy," Frazer said.
The Context
The Princess of Wales has become the focus of increased speculation and conspiracy theories since stepping out of the public eye to recover from "planned abdominal surgery" in January.
At the time, Kensington Palace in London said Kate was not expected to return to royal engagements until after Easter.
Attention on the princess was heightened earlier this month when it was revealed that she had edited an official portrait of herself and her three children released to mark Mother's Day in Britain. This prompted the royal to issue a rare personal apology for any confusion her editing had caused.
On March 16, the first video footage of Kate since her surgery was captured while out shopping with Prince William near their home in Windsor. The video and screenshots were published by The Sun newspaper and TMZ on March 18. This gave rise to concerns over the royal's privacy as well as new conspiracy theories.
What We Know
Kensington Palace has not commented officially on the footage of Kate published on March 18, nor directly addressed the surge in speculation and conspiracy theories about the princess.
On Tuesday, March 19, Frazer took part in an interview with LBC radio host Nick Ferrari, in which she was asked about Kate and the publication of images from the Windsor shopping video in the U.K. press.
"Do you have concerns over the security of privacy of this?" Ferrari asked.
"In relation to the press, it's important that I respect and uphold press freedom," Frazer said. "I do think that the Princess of Wales, at the moment... I've met the Princess of Wales a number of times. I think she's a remarkable lady and I think we should give her a little bit of privacy personally."
To this, Ferrari pushed Frazer, asking if she had "concerns" that newspapers ran the images.
"Newspapers are regulated," Frazer responded. "In the sense that they will have editorial decisions as to what is appropriate, and I'm not going to comment as the culture secretary on a particular photograph.
"These are matters that each individual newspaper will have to consider, and I'm sure that they will consider very carefully. Personally, I think that the Princess of Wales does a remarkable job, and at the moment she is recovering from an operation, and I think we should respect her privacy."
Views
While conspiracy theories surrounding Kate continue to circulate online, despite the recent video footage of her appearing well in Windsor, fans and commentators have reflected on her recovery period and warned of its potential impact.
The ITV network's royal editor Chris Ship wrote on March 18 that Kate could potentially discuss her experiences over the past three months when she returns to work.
"When Kate does return to work—be that at Easter, during the Easter holidays or after the schools return from the Easter break (in the case of George, Charlotte and Louis' school, that is April 17)—I'm told she will elaborate on her time away from public duties," Ship said.
"We will likely hear during one of her chats with the public or with someone from a charity that she's come to support, what it has been like being sick and knowing the rampant clamour online for people to see a photograph or some kind of 'proof of life.'
"Kate may even choose to give some more details about the type of procedure she had," Ship added.
"If and when she does, according to a friend of hers, a lot of people are going to feel a lot of regret about the pressure Kate was put under to appear in public during her recovery."
What's Next?
As Kate and her health continue to make front-page news, fans and critics alike are looking with anticipation towards her eventual return to public duties.
In January, at the time of her surgery, Kensington Palace announced that "based on the current medical advice," Kate was "unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."
The princess could potentially join other senior royals for the annual Easter Sunday church service at Windsor Castle on March 31. However, Kate could also enter a phased return to work after her children's Easter school holidays in mid-April. Any appearance is not expected to be confirmed by the palace until closer to the time.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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